MORE TROUBLE FOR ASHAFA, AS GOA, KLM, PEPPERITO BATTLE FOR LAGOS EAST SENATORIAL TICKET 

The race for the position of the Lagos East Senatorial District election deepens as more candidates of the All Progressives Congress have emerged. Senator Gbenga Ashafa, who is the incumbent occupant of the Lagos East Senatorial seat has aided the passage of some bills including the Lagos-Ibadan railway which commenced in May, 2018. While jostling for a return to the red chambers, more candidates have also shown their interest to compete at party levels. While some believed that Senator Ashafa has performed wonderfully well, others believed that he has not been spectacular and he has disconnected himself from the party. This has been a major issue since loyalists of same party but different caucuses have been throwing jibes at each other, also have been seen as a threat to one another’s ambition.

Residents and indegenes of Ikorodu recently drum their support for their Son, Ganiyu Olusegun Abiru who staged his 1 million man match, to declare his intention to run for the Lagos East Senatorial district in June 2018. Abiru has taken time to meet with the stakeholders of Ikorodu division of the Lagos East Senatorial district and has been assured of their unshaken support come 2019. With Abiru in the red chambers, Ikorodu stakeholders believe it can’t be any better for Ikorodu when it comes to representation. Ikorodu is a determinant factor whose support Ashafa should never take for granted.

A few days back, APC chieftain and Kosofe I representative at the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mr Bayo Osinowo’s posters stormed the internet. This has garnered a lot of positive and negative reactions from party faithfuls, Kosofe residents, market people and the technocrats, some party faithfuls believe that ‘Pepperito’ as he is popularly called should be given a chance in the senate, while many others see him as a party chieftain who after completing his tenure at Lagos State House of Assembly should retire to ‘godfatherism’ and continue politicking as a decision maker. Osinowo practically controls the House of Assembly for Asiwaju and he is seen to be the regulating factor within the APC in Lagos State. A case-study was when the Chairmen of Kosofe councils turned down the State Governor’s list and went ahead to install Osinowo’s candidates as supervisors, at the time councils were to appoint supervisors just after concluding the council polls in 2017. Pepper has become the number one APC stalwart in Kosofe after the demise of Erstwhile APC chieftain, Late Pa Sunmola and his ‘Justice Forum’ counterpart, Chief Bushura Alebioshu who has been relegated to the back seat recently. Although, many believe that Pepper doesn’t have any business in the red chambers of the senate, however he authorises who becomes what on the Lagos political scene, especially his strongholds, Kosofe and Somolu local governments. This might be a huge setback for the incumbent seeking re-election at the red chambers of the senate, Senator Ashafa at the primaries ahead of 2019 elections.

In 2011, Asiwaju Tinubu single handedly installed Bareehu Ashafa as the candidate of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, to represent the Lagos East zone at the red chambers. This was put together through the support of Bayo Osinowo. What has changed since 2011? How did Osinowo fall apart with Ashafa?

In Nigeria, politicians treasure their ambitions more than any friendship

The former Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, Chief Lanre Razak, has recently declared his interest in the Lagos East senatorial seat. Some parts of Agboyi-Ketu, Oworonshoki, Ketu have been flooded with posters showing the APC chieftain’s interest to battle the incumbent at the primaries. When asked why he wants to represent Lagos East at the Senate, he concluded that their party, APC has resolved that Epe produces the next senator after the eight-year tenure of the incumbent Senator Gbenga Ashafa from Ibeju-Lekki local Government area. He added that “since the other four councils have had their turns, it is the turn of the people of Epe local government, and we have our firm believe in the zoning arrangement and for the sake of fairness, equity and justice, we are convinced that it is now our turn to produce the next senator for the Lagos East senatorial zone.”